


Altered Atlas

by baeberiibungh



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Dark, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Disturbing Themes, Drug Addiction, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, F/M, GAD, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Stuttering Harry Potter, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24271591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeberiibungh/pseuds/baeberiibungh
Summary: The one where Petunia is a witch married to Severus Snape…
Relationships: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape/Petunia Evans
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Harry sits in the chair hunched over himself. Petunia places a plate before him with a loud thunk. The food is warm and smells heavenly. Dudley sits by him and picks up the toast from his own plate. Dudley bites in to the piece of buttered toast and looks from his mother to his father. Severus was reading the Daily Prophet. A picture for an advertisement for the new Nimbus 2000 broom flutters on the page that faces the boys.

“Father,” Dudley calls out, very lanky and tall for his age.

Severus puts the newspaper aside and asks, “Yes Dudley?”

“When are we going to Diagon Alley to get my stuff for Hogwarts?” he asks.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full Dudley. I will be taking you and Harry to Diagon Alley to get your things the day after tomorrow. You boys pack up the rest of the essentials into your trunk in the meantime,” Severus said. He always spoke very clearly to Dudley, giving him all the attention he could while he could. He was not as careful with Harry though. Harry mostly got things told without being looked at by either his aunt Petunia or his legal guardian, her husband.

Harry shivered then and started eating his food slowly. He had gotten the letter the same day as Dudley. He too got the long list of books and assorted things he is supposed to bring to Hogwarts on the first day of admission. He had not one coin in his possession and not one thing to call his own. Everything he ever had was given to him as a loan, one of the rules in the Snape house that Aunt Petunia followed judiciously. 

Harry was Aunt Petunia’s younger sister’s son. Both his parents were dead and he had no extended family apart from Aunt Petunia, her husband Severus Snape and their son Dudley. Aunt Petunia and Severus in turn were orphans as well and had no family to speak of. Somewhat reclusive, they kept to themselves and absolutely doted on their one son. Harry they kept around because he was family but there was no deeper meaning to it. 

And now there was Hogwarts. It would be the first school he would go to. Home schooled till date, both the Snape and Potter boys were shy and extremely reserved. Since Harry could remember, he had hardly seen other people except from the windows of his house. Apart from Dudley, no one really talked with him, only to him. The only time he had gone out had been to the hospital once, when it was discovered he would require glasses. 

He was covered up in robes for the whole thing, hiding his face and incredibly nervous to even talk with a new human being. Not that he needed to of course, Aunt Petunia took care of the talking, explaining the problem. When she asked Harry to take off the cloak, Harry shook and shook and shook, standing still and unable to move. When the healer told his aunt to leave, Harry started wailing, begging his aunt not to leave him.

The healer than forcibly had Harry ingest a drought then and that had calmed him down enough to carry out the examination. Aunt Petunia had been most displeased, more so when the healer informed her that Harry had a lot of anxiety and it would not do for the boy who lived. Harry could not make out what that meant. He cried on reaching home because each moment outside felt like he was going to suffocate and collapse at any moment.

Since then, Aunt petunia had been doling a bit of a magical drought that tasted just like water to calm Harry whenever he got ‘over excited’. It didn’t help much though, unlike the potion that the healer had given him. But Harry could not ask for more. His food was to be cut off this week again. Uncle Severus never spoke on these issues and it was as if Harry were invisible to him most of the time. 

Today, however, completely bewildering Harry, Severus told Harry to take a seat before him. Harry had sat down with his heart literally beating in his throat. Then, Severus had proceeded to tell him exactly why that healer had called him the boy who lived. Harry had been gobsmacked. Adding to that had been the information that he would be able to access his parents’ inheritance now. Harry was rather nonplussed with this information. 

All that time he went hungry or without things, he could have gotten them easily? He had the money, his Aunt could have gotten it out for him but she just kept on depriving him. How was any of this fair? How had been his life, apparently the boy who lived and defeated Voldemort, fair in any way? Harry had tried to say the same to his guardian but as usual the words had gotten stuck in his mouth. 

“Ww-why didn’t you tell mm-me before?” Harry had asked aghast.

“It was your Aunt’s decision Harry. Nothing I could say over a blood relative anyway,” Severus answered calmly, getting up and walking to the dining room to start eating his breakfast. 

And now here Harry was, shivering and shaking till Aunt Petunia deemed him disturbed enough to give the anxiety drought. Not that it would help of course. Some perverse part of his brain also whispered that he was merely making a scene just like Aunt Petunia accused him of doing almost everytime he got an anxiety attack. In fact the situation got so dire that Severus had to step in this time, making Harry drink a thick and nice smelling drought to calm his nerves.

Everyone had been openly dissapointed in him for needing the drought and after breakfast Harry just went and laid down on his bed, crying silently as he though of his poor mother and father. The day after tomorrow he would go out with his guardian and cousin and out into places crowded with people. Maybe the day after tomorrow, if Harry wished hard enough, he will also disappear into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2

The Diagon Alley trip day came and Severus pulled Harry aside before giving him a bottle of small blue coloured tablets. The bottle was not small and the pills were aplenty. Severus said, “Do not disappoint me Harry. Every time you feel like acting up again, just take one of the blue pills. Don’t abuse my trust – only take a pill when you really want it and not because you think you might need it. Only when it is necessary. Got it?”

Harry nods his agreement. Snape had given one pill to him yesterday when he had felt too overwhelmed by todays trip and he had actually felt the stress leave his body. Smacking his lips, Harry takes the bottles and hides it in his pocket, fearful that Severus could take it back again against his wished. Severus makes no such movement. Instead he confides that, “My mother used to take them so I know they are good for you.”

Harry nods his head again. 

Breakfast already done, all four line up against the fireplace, the pot of floo powder standing by the grate. Harry had traveled through floo powder before, when the family had changed houses so he is feeling confident this time. he had also nibbled on a bit of a tablet and is feeling much better as it is. Confident and almost happy to tag along to this new place crowded with people. Maybe one more nibble would not hurt. 

Petunia goes first. Dudley leaves second. Severus pushes Harry to follow and comes the last. All of them come out of the floo network ports lining one side of the market in a cluster. Harry is immediately stricken by the number of people just walking about leisurely. They are talking and laughing and just walking with lots of bustle. Unable to help himself, he pops in a whole tablet and feels his limbs loosen from the stiff position he had been holding them in.

First they go to Gringotts. Harry is feeling a bit loopy and light headed from the medicine and finds the sight of the goblins not very scary. Scary yes. But not too much. Severus hands a key to the main goblin and the pair, Harry and Severus, are directed to a vault. When Griphook the goblin opens the vault door, Harry lets out an audible gasp. There are gold coins in the vault up to the ceiling. 

Harry feels like diving into the pile, but is restrained by Severus. Severus steps in, takes a few measured handful of the coins and puts them in a pouch. When he steps back, he hands over the pouch to a slightly trembling Harry and steps back into his seat. Harry follows, stuttering over his thank yous to both Severus and Griphook. Severus waves away the gratitude and Griphook does not respond in any way.

The duo meets Petunia and Dudley in the bookstore and for the first time in his life, Harry buys his first thing with his own money. Given those are only his text books, but the purchase makes him happy none the less. They buy cauldrons, robes, more books and quills, a monitor lizard for Dudley, and more. Harry buys an owl with his own money though. They have an excellent meal at the Leaky Cauldron and floo back home laden with purchases.

Harry sleeps a good sleep that night but is awoken rather suddenly by the squawk of his new pet owl. Harry gets up, is momentarily surprised at the new things around him and then quickly takes another blue pill before his heart could ramp up to an another anxiety attack. He had rally gone to a completely crowded place and bough things with his own money. Had used the right cutlery when eating and had even laughed at a joke Dudley made.

The blue pill is magic that Harry does not know, does not recognize straightaway. But they bring in a reprieve to his aching joints and too fast heart beat and his startled expression. He cannot say how grateful he is to Severus for introducing him to this. They leave tomorrow for Hogwarts through the Hogwarts train. Severus will be leaving with them as he teaches at Hogwarts as well.

Harry packs up everything he has into his big trunk and it is sad how everything neatly fits, with space for some more. Harry digs out the small tin from the bottom of his closet that contains his precious treasures. A small marble and a big one, both gifts from Dudley when he had been in a good mood. A small rusted penknife that Harry found buried in their background and a shinny stone that glinted in the sun. 

The tin box also held the picture of a family together. It had a mother and father and two sons presumably and the parents were hugging the boys with glee, lips full spread in wide smiles, eyes crinkled, looking at the viewer. It had been a filler picture for a photo frame that Aunt Petunia had bought. It had been the picture of a happy family that had drawn Harry. He didn’t know how his parents had looked as there had been no picture with Petunia. 

Harry wrapped the tin in a plastic sheet and sat down on his bed. All his wordily possessions now was held in the trunk. He was really going to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. He had been hearing Dudley go on about how great the school is, how he hoped he would get into Slytherin which had been both Severus and Petunia’s houses in the school and how he hoped to go on great adventures with the friends he would soon make.

This point always managed to stump Harry. He had never had a friend apart from whatever he had with his cousin. To have new friends always sounded strange and impossible to Harry. He hoped that he would be able to make a friend atleast or the seven years he was going to be at the school would be insanely lonely. He certainly hoped that he would get into Slytherin as well to be with Dudley and have one familiar face around. 

The robe that Harry had bought as a part of his uniform filled him with hope as well. He had pulled his robe low in Diagon Alley and the thick fabric had muffled the sounds of the people around a bit and this had been strangely comforting. He hoped that his new robe would afford him the same courtesy and help him keep to himself and a bit away from the loud sounds and the like if possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke up early on the day of the travel to Hogwarts. Harry had wanted to ask Severus so many things but was hesitant to do so. Thankfully Dudley asked more than enough for the both of them and his curiosity was thus sated. Harry dragged his trunk to the living room and had a simple breakfast, thanking his Aunt for the same afterwards. Aunt Petunia had just pursed her lips at Harry and his speech and then looked away.

Dudley’s monitor lizard had a whole big case to itself and Harry had only his owl cage containing his new owl Hegwig apart from his trunk. Dudley had two trunks full of stuff and assorted bags as well. Aunt Petunia fussed over him and kept repeating the same things over and over again and again, to eat, to sleep well, to study hard, to keep his father’s name in his right and bright, to write to her and more.

Dudley smiled brilliantly and agreed to the instructions flawlessly. He assured his mother that he would do all she asked and more. Aunt Petunia was most pleased with the response. She didn’t rattle off a similar list to Harry though and seemed to be avoiding him completely. Harry didn’t say anything and just gulped a pill to calm his nerve. They would be using the floo again to get to the station as that would be most convenient.

Severus appeared then and after a hug to his son and a peck to Aunt Petunia’s cheek, summoned the house elf to take the luggage to the train station as those would not fit into the fireplace. The house elf was a comparatively new one, purchased by Severus just before the birth of Dudley. The house elf chirruped its ‘yes master’ and vanished with a snap of its fingers along with all of the luggage. 

Aunt Petunia went first through the floo and Dudley followed. Harry went next and Severus again brought up the rear. Harry stepped into a crowded platform and went to stand by his things and Aunt Petunia and Dudley. Guards started loading the luggage to the train and Severus got in one of the firs carriages and reserved for the staff of the school. Aunt Petunia gave Dudley a big kiss and a quick hug and stood back to let the boys climb the train.

“Shall we Harry?” Dudley asked.

Harry nodded his affirmation.

Both got into a compartment to the middle of the train and found it to be empty much to their relief. Dudley stuck his head back through the window to wave his goodbye to his mother. Harry stayed put in his seat, feeling vaguely nauseous and unprepared for what was to come. When the train started moving, Harry joined Dudley to wave his goodbye to a rapidly diminishing Aunt Petunia. Both waited till she was out of sight to return to their seats.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” Dudley asked merrily.

“Yeah…” Harry answered deflating into his seat. Dudley too leaned back and sat down at ease. It was then a boy slid the door to their compartment and looked around it. The boy was Harry’s age, with very very red hair that was shorn almost to the scalp. He also had a scar going over his face from eyebrow to cheek that looked red and like it hurt. His eyes didn’t look too kind and Harry gulped involuntarily.

“Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full.”

“Of course. Please come in,” Dudley invited.

The boy grunted before coming and sitting by Dudley. Perhaps Harry looked too spooked. He certainly was sweating profusely. The compartment was cool but Harry swiped his hair aside to get some air in his face. The new boy frowned at that and blurted out, shocking Harry, “You are Harry Potter.”

Harry blinked twice before giving a jerking nod to the statement. 

“I am Ronald Weasley. You can call me Ron though.”

“Hi Ron,” Dudley spoke up. “I am Dudley Snape. And this here is my cousin, as you correctly said, Harry Potter.”

Ron narrowed his eyes again. He seemed to look at Harry with something akin to distrust but then just looked away.

A lady with the snack trolley came then and asked the boys if they wanted anything. Harry touched his money pouch in longing but dared not to talk with the woman he did not really know. Ron bought a chocolate frog and Harry stared at the convulsing half eaten body in shock and awe. Dudley bought two lollipops and took out the two tiffin lunches Aunt Petunia had packed for them, Harry’s one considerably smaller than Dudley’s.

“Want a bite?” Dudley asked Ron.

“I don’t like corned beef.”

“No problem.”

“Is he mute?”

“Who?” Dudley asked.

“Your cousin,” Ron said pointing out to Harry. Harry pushed back into his seat some more.

“Hmm. No. Just not a very good talked so tends to keep to himself.”

“Oh. Ok.” 

“C’mon Harry, say something to your new friend.”

“Hh-hell-o,” Harry stuttered out.

Suddenly Ron’s eyes were filled with glee and he laughed out aloud. “Scared, Potter?” He asked.

“Nn-no.”

“Oh, shush, leave him alone. Don’t make him cry,” Dudley interjected.

“Does he cry very easily then?” Ron asked.

“Depends on the day of the week I guess,” Dudley answered with a small laugh of his own.

Harry felt his face blaze in embarrassment. They were talking about him as though he was not even there. He looked outside as the train seemed to be slowing down and decided that he didn’t really want to be friends with this Ronald very much.

The train came to a stop and everyone clambered down. A hairy giant was calling all the first years to him and Harry latched onto Dudley’s cloak so as not to lose contact with him. They all were taken over a lake in dinghy little boats that rocked hard with the slightest ripple. Harry felt like he was going to die any second. When they reached the other side, Harry had to hold onto his knees to get his breathing back to normal. 

It was as they were waiting outside the dining hall that Harry saw for the first time the most beautiful boy he had ever seen, with white blonde hair, a confident smile and swarming with friends and well wishers. Their eyes met for a second and Harry felt like he was going to swoon. The effect of the pill had stopped so he swiped another one into his mouth. Dudley gave him a look at that but didn’t say anything. 

Their teacher came back and ushered them into the dining room, a majestic space filled with all sorts of magic happening simultaneously. The room was filled with four long tables that contained quite a lot of students and to one side of the room a line of chairs that seated the staff of the school. On a chair in front of them lay a dirty old hat and Harry knew from the stories Dudley had told him it was the sorting hat.


	4. Chapter 4

The teacher with an equally pointed hat took out a long piece of parchment and started calling out names. The person would step forward, wear the hat and the hat would declare which house they belonged to. The whole procedure was instant and firm but for a select few the hat seemed to take a moment long. The names were called alphabetically, Harry realized, which would mean that Harry would wear the hat before Dudley.

That made him pull in a short sharp painful gasp. That was not fair. He wanted to go to the same house Dudley would. Dudley had said that he would be given to the Slytherin house because both his parents were from that house, but Harry did not feel too sure about it. What if he and Dudley were sorted into two different houses? How would he ever bear it and manage?

A ‘Granger, Hermione’ was chosen into the Slytherin house and their table erupted in shouts and hoots and she had been one of those that required an extra second to be decided on. Harry was sure that he even saw the girl speak something.

The beautiful boy Harry had seen previously stepped forward at ‘Malfoy, Draco’ The hat had shouted Slytherin before the hat had even touched the boy properly. 

A lot many were declared into different houses after them, like ‘Mew, Maekuri’, ‘Joon, Nixha’, ‘Lengdom, Afi’, ‘Parkinson, Pansy’, ‘Diaz, Ramin’ who all turned out to be Slytherins, etc. 

Then the witch called ‘Potter, Harry’ and everyone went silent. Harry took a large gulp of air and walked on trembling limbs to the chair holding the hat. He tried not to look at anyone as his teacher placed the hat on him. 

“Hmm,” a voice in his head said, making Harry jump in his seat, a few titters making his ears hot, “So, where shall I put you?”

“Slytherin please, please, Slytherin,” Harry thought thinking about the beautiful boy and what Dudley had said. 

“What an apt choice, indeed,” the hat said before shouting out, ‘Slytherin’.

A staggering Harry was pulled into the crowd at the Slytherin table and people thumped him on his back and wished him success and Harry could not help but notice how the other houses were looking at him, like he had somehow disappointed them. Before he had a chance to react to them, the teacher called out, ‘Snape, Dudley’. The hat took another moment to decide before shouting ‘Slytherin’ making Harry shake in relief.

Dudley came and sat by Harry and thumped his back lightly, his touch somewhat familiar and welcomed to Harry at the moment than the others had been. Ronald Weasley, who was also selected into the Slytherin house was sitting in front of them and he deemed to say to Harry, “All right there Harry?”

Harry nodded, suddenly grateful to Ron for no other reason than acceptance. Alteast he didn’t seem to be in a mood to tease. 

Dumbledore, their headmaster, said a few things and then the plates before them were suddenly full. Harry look on with a sense of wonder and a bit of worry. Can he take as much as he wants or that would be taking too much? But he was so hungry. Not that he would be able to eat too much anyway. Harry’s appetite had not been something that had been encouraged at his home.

So Harry pulled a few bites of this and a few bites of that till his plate was half full. Still expecting someone to swoop down on him and tell him so much food was not allowed for him, Harry started eating. The food was delicious, even more delicious than Aunt Petunia’s but Harry could not eat much due to his worry. If he forced himself, he would become sick; if he left anything behind, he would be wasting.

Deciding to go with the latter unhappily, Harry pushed his plate away and started looking around his House table. Everyone ate with gusto, even Dudley even though he was so thin. Harry knew Dudley would be purposefully sick later but did not have anything to say about it. Not that Dudley would listen to him anyway. Dudley usually ate a bowl of ice cream before heading to the loo to be sick as this made his throat feel better but Harry wondered if that would be possible here. Harry was not entirely sure if there was a fridge at Hogwarts really.

Soon, they were bustled up by the House prefect and taken to their rooms towards the back of the school. The way was lit by fire scones and the odd shimmering ghost. When they reached the common room, the prefect directed them to their rooms with instructions and a list of rules that everyone listened to carefully. Nothing very strict, just not to be caught in any wrong doing and not to harass their housemates.

Dudley headed towards the bathroom and Harry looked on, a bit worried. He was already so thin. This was definitely not helping.

It was then that Draco stepped forward and asked, “You are Harry Potter? The Harry Potter?”

“Ye-yeah…”

“Didn’t thing you would end up in Slytherin, so welcome home I guess,” Draco said with a wide smile.

“Than-kk you,” Harry stuttered out.

Ron, who had come to stand by Harry and stare murderously at Draco drew his eyes next. Draco turned his head and frowned before saying, “What is a Weasley doing in Slytherin?”

Ron gave an ugly smile then and said, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

The comment seems to take Draco aback. He does not comment on Ron anymore, but does give Harry a searching look. Harry smiles at him in retaliation and Draco, unbelievably, blushes to that.

All the first years walk to their bed and Harry is out of it by the time the lights are puffed out.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Harry wakes in a hurry and is prodded by both Ron and Dudley to make his steps quick. Harry tips his head back to dry swallow one of the blue pill, his new best friend, and follows the duo at a run. They return to the dinning hall, shove food into their mouth while still standing and head to their class. 

All the first years from four houses share classes and classrooms are wide and large. Different teachers take different classes in different rooms and story and the corridors are always full of running students hell bent on making their next class. Harry manages all the bustle by having Ron and Dudley always with him and dunking his hand into his pill bottle regularly. People stare and point at him but no one really dares much to actually come up to him given Ron’s permanent scowl and Dudley’s just this side of off putting smile.

Only people from his house seem to be ok talking with him and the others shy away for some reason. Harry finds all the subjects really interesting and invigorating. They also strike up a friendship with Hermione Granger who is the smartest in their class and the apple of Severus’ eyes. Very confident and takes no shit for anyone. Quick to argue and always has a reply to any comment that come her way. Ron actually looks a bit smitten with her, as in he doesn’t scowl at her so much or is not that cruel to her.

Another fellow Slytherin is Draco Malfoy who calls out to Harry in classes just to say hello and good morning. Harry likes those interactions pretty much a lot even though he himself only responds with nods and smiles. People were aware that he had a speech impediment but it was as if no one cared about it. Certainly no one kept a live commentary on it like Aunt Petunia had given at home.

Classes are mostly uneventful, except hilarious mistakes here and there. They still have to run to make their classes and barely make breakfast most days. Harry had seen the post come in and had ordered his own subscription to the Daily Prophet. It was the only post he got most days. However, one day he got a post in an unknown handwriting. It was signed Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, asking Harry down for a visit. 

No one had quite asked Harry to visit anytime anywhere so Harry decided to go. First he wrote a letter asking if he could bring some of his friends as well. He got the reply pretty quick that he could. So after class that day he asks Ron and Dudley if they want to accompany him to Hagrid’s house. Both nod their affirmation. Harry happily leads tem out back, asking the directions from the ghost they pass and reach Hargrid’s cottage before the sun has set.

Harry knocks on the door and a huge booming bark sounds from the other side of the door. Harry hears a man shout, “Back, Fang, back.”

A massive face covered in hair so that only prominent thing on the face is the big nose peers out a sliver of the opened door and looks at Harry. On seeing that it is indeed Harry and friends, Hagrid pulls the door fully open and lets in the trio. They are immediately bounced upon by the dog Fang and slobbered upon most messily. The boys rub their hands in their robes and edge around to the sitting area while Hagrid pulls away Fang to go sit by the humongous fireplace. 

“Blimey Harry, didn’t really think you would come. Never having met before you and all. But I am so glad you came. Here, have some of me rock cakes boy, outright fresh from the over,” Hagrid said with a big smile on his face. Harry noted how when Hagrid smiled, his eyes twinkled most kindly and his mat of a bread waved as if it were trembling from quivering lips. Harry smiled back at him. 

“Well, I s’pose introductions are in order. I am Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys here at Hogwarts. I am also an old friend of yer family and was quite ready to bring you with me for your official first visit to the Diagon Alley if Snape was busy, I had even asked his permission and all. Well, it was not required so i never got around to introduce myself. So, introduce me to your friends here Harry,” Hagrid said pointing out at Dudley and Ron.

“TTh-is is Ronald Wweas-ley and tt-his is my cousin Dd-dud-ley Snape.” Harry said.

“Ah. The Snape boy and the youngest Weasley boy. I mighta thought you were in Gryffindor rather than Slytherin, but the hats knows best, so what can I say. So how have been your first week in the castle Harry? Everything all right there?” Hagrid nodded sagely.

“Yy-es Hagrid. I am enjoy-ing my cla-sses very much. Everything is –ssh- interesting and my friends like them-mm too. I even ggot a few points in o-one of my cla-sses,” Harry answered.

“Ah, I knew you would be a good wizard. A very good wizard. Your parents were very good you know. Fought you-know-who by themselves you know. Sadly didn’t make it but you did. Ain’t that a miracle now. So, Weasley, tell me how are your parents?” Hagrid asked Ron.

“Call me Ron, please. And they are fine, like always. Just a bit miffed that I didn’t get in Gryffindor like my siblings,” Ron replied.

“Ah, well, Slytherin is a good house too. So many great Wizard and witches from that house. Tell your family not to worry. I am sure you will be as good as them as a wizard,” Hagrid said kindly.

“I will be _better_!” Ron Interjected.

“Aye, aye, that’s the spirit. And Snape, Dudley, eat one more cake, you look like you could do the feeding,” Hagrid said pushing the half full plate towards Dudley.

Dudley smiles at Hargid, not his weird rictus one, but a genuine small one and it seems to mollify the worrying Hagrid. 

They all sit and talk for a bit more and head towards their castle just before dinner is due. All three calls out their goodbye to a waving Hagrid and walk over the mountain to go in. They bump into Severus and he gives them a telling off for being out so late. Somewhat chastised, they head to the dinning hall, have their dinner and then head to their dorm to do their homework and onto their beds later to sleep. 

Harry counts how many pills he had left and find that its not many. He took three today, had been taking almost the same daily and his stock is dwindling. Making up his mind to ask Severus for more tomorrow, he pops one more into his mouth, the social visit leaving him too tired and shaky and gets into his bed. He sleeps dreamless that night.

**Author's Note:**

> My First real HP fic. Please leave kudos or comment if you liked.


End file.
